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FlatEarth1024

Posted 16 April 2007 - 12:53 PM

Ungodly

Posted 16 April 2007 - 01:12 PM

Ungodly

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LocationInland Empire, California

This is an absolutely horrible thing. We certainly will want to learn whatever we can about the nutter that did this and what went wrong in his life. Usually it takes a brain tumor or a religious affliction to inspire this kind of evil.

It occurred to me that this morning the students at Virginia Tech were exposed to exactly the same kind of random mindless terror as happens every day now in the country that Our Glorious Christian Leader invaded based on a pack of lies. Imagine if 32 innocent college students and faculty were killed every day in this country, or even if there were several such incidents per day. Certainly nobody in their right mind wants anything like that to happen, but it is what we have set loose in Iraq.

We need, as a nation, to renounce violence and to promote reconciliation as a means of settling conflicts. The culture we live in is becoming dangerously fragmented with group A hating group B, group B hating group C, and so forth.

The White Coyote

Posted 16 April 2007 - 04:29 PM

The White Coyote

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3,363 posts

LocationThe Great Northwest

I have seen so much death in my lifetime that I guess , although saddened by this tragedy, I am not surprised. For those of you who may ask why this kind of thing happens, there is no answer. Horror can strike anytime, anywhere and sadly, anyone. Nearly all killing is senseless. There aren't any solutions, and there aren't any cures. The best we can do is hold on to each other. Make sure that everyone you love knows it. And probably most important, always keep your eyes open and keep yourself ready to defend yourself and your own.

FlatEarth1024

Posted 16 April 2007 - 04:46 PM

FlatEarth1024

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I have seen so much death in my lifetime that I guess , although saddened by this tragedy, I am not surprised. For those of you who may ask why this kind of thing happens, there is no answer. Horror can strike anytime, anywhere and sadly, anyone. Nearly all killing is senseless. There aren't any solutions, and there aren't any cures. The best we can do is hold on to each other. Make sure that everyone you love knows it. And probably most important, always keep your eyes open and keep yourself ready to defend yourself and your own.

I don't know if you remember the 1993 Long Island Railroad shooting where 6 were killed and 19 injured. One of the witness quotes that has always stuck with me was that "There was no screaming or begging or anything. Nobody made a sound." Everyone sat quietly as the guy paced up and down the aisle shooting people. I thought about that today while VA Tech was being reported. How does this happen?

The guy shot 61 people. Think about that for a moment. Even at two guns with a 16 round clip in each, that's two reloads. How long did it take to shoot 61 people? Ten minutes? Fifteen? More?

I am not a hero, and I honestly do not know how I would react in that situation. But after the first or second or third fatality, clearly this guy is not here to steal wristwatches. You have to at that point assume one of those bullets has your name on it. If for no other reason than self-preservation, why did nobody try to tackle this asshole?

I'm not the bravest guy. But I was the kind who kicked the bully in the balls, not out of bravery, but out of fear. I knew that kick in the nuts was probably my only chance to avoid getting hurt. I cannot imagine simply sitting there, waiting for my turn. Why are humans so deeply programmed to passively await their own demise? I cannot even comprehend this guy walking around, taking aim (you don't kill 32 people with random shots), and squeezing off rounds and nobody rushing him from the blind side or from the left while he is aiming in on someone to the right.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not blaming the victims. I do, however, wonder how many lives could have been spared had someone nailed this fucker with a shoulder to the small of his back at full speed. We as a species are conditioned to be passive to those who threaten us. In these cases, that only escalates the tragedy...nothing more.

Posted 16 April 2007 - 04:59 PM

The White Coyote

Posted 16 April 2007 - 05:09 PM

The White Coyote

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If you haven't seen a massacre it is difficult to describe how it affects you. Many of the students jumped out of windows in the building so self preservation was certainly a motivator. However the trauma of seeing what these folks were witnessing can freeze even the bravest of the brave. I understand that the shooter was armed with a 9mm and a 22cal so there are many scenarios and he may have had several clips. The situation was one of chaos but at the same time he knew exactly what he wanted to do. I have seen some of the toughest guys in the world literally crap themselves with fear. It doesn't take a hero to save a life. It takes an ability to detach from the situation, react without thinking and become a weapon.

There was a bit of training I was involved with where men were asked to watch a movie of a puppy being run down on a freeway (It was staged and the puppy was fake) but the first time you saw it, you would flinch, blood pressure would go up and heartbeat would race. The objective was to control your emotions to the point where none of the needles moved when you saw the movie. About one out of 75 to 100 men could actually do it. Everyone else failed. If a person doesn't have that ability to shut it down, they probably wouldn't be able to defend themselves in a tragic situation like this one.

Ungodly

Posted 16 April 2007 - 05:16 PM

why did nobody try to tackle this asshole?...We as a species are conditioned to be passive to those who threaten us. In these cases, that only escalates the tragedy...nothing more.

There are going to be books, movies, and far too many TV shows about what happened today. It will be interesting to see if your question is answered. I have no idea how I would have reacted, none at all.

The White Coyote

Posted 16 April 2007 - 06:05 PM

The White Coyote

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I first heard the news about this as I opened the shop this morning. I wasn't paying a lot of attention and all I heard was "mass killings at a school." Right about that time a fucking ambulance rushed down the street towards the gradeschool where my ballgame buddy "Shortcake" goes to school. I instantly went into battle mode and was armed and ready to rock in 30 seconds. I was in my car when I heard it was in Virginia. Wow! I haven't had that much adrenalin in me in a long, long time.

After school today she stopped by and I nearly squished her with a huge hug. She asked why and all I could say was "I love you."

Ungodly

Posted 21 April 2007 - 12:26 PM

The White Coyote

Posted 21 April 2007 - 08:56 PM

The White Coyote

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LocationThe Great Northwest

That's a great toon Steve. It makes a point while making another point. It is sad that our world is such a place that we have to worry about such matters. (Even last night me and Shortcake were at he game and I thought how strange it was that we have to keep in constant contact by walky-talky anytime we are not visible to each other.) These poor students were just going to school and having a good time when this ugly shithead comes in and starts blasting. Then when the smoke clears the best the fucking media can do is tell me this assholes problems and show me every fucking detail of his manifesto. Frankly, I don't give a shit about his life or problems. Fuck him. How about all the poor kids he killed and wounded? Tell me their story. Tell the world how their lives were cut short. One of them could have turned out to be a noble prize winner, or the inventor of a medical miracle. But instead of telling us about them they just become one of 32 while sicko gets all the press. Whatta fucked up mess. (Rant over. Sorry)